Chapter 111
The PR director in charge of next month's gala entered the office.
After reporting on the progress, she asked, "Mr. Forbes, since Nova is attending this year, should we arrange for Mrs. Forbes to meet with her privately?"
Alexander went still, a sharp 'why'? escaping his lips.
The PR director replied, "We were thinking that it was Mrs. Forbes who connected Nova with the Forbes Group back then—"
Before she could finish, Sabrina interrupted with a worried expression, "A private meeting? Someone as important as Nova probably doesn't have the time or interest to catch up with Charlotte, right?"
"Besides, it was Lynn who had a relationship with Nova, not Charlotte."
Then Sabrina turned to Alexander, "Mr. Forbes, Charlotte can only paint at best. She doesn't understand anything about design. If she accidentally says something wrong and offend Nova during their conversation, that would be trouble."
Hearing Sabrina's words, Alexander began to hesitate.
Sabrina was right.
Last time Charlotte had won the competition by luck because she could paint, but afterward he learned from Sabrina that Lynn had left Charlotte some unpublished design sketches after she passed away, so the outfit Charlotte wore in the competition was actually Lynn's work.
Memory of Sabrina's earlier warning in the car resurfaced, fueling a slow-burning irritation.
Charlotte was too eager to manipulate him and Owen.
Allowing Charlotte a private meeting was a risk he couldn't take; she would surely use it to her advantage. No, he absolutely couldn't give her that chance.
That won't be necessary, he replied, his voice hardening.
The PR director looked surprised but said nothing.
Just as she was about to leave, Alexander called her back.
"Double-check Nova's schedule with them. If possible, arrange for Ms. Spencer to meet with her privately."
Only Sabrina truly had his best interests at heart. If possible, he wanted to do everything he could to make it up to her.
If she could get Nova's guidance this time, It would be a pivotal turning point for her career.
The PR director calmly acknowledged this and left.
The moment she stepped out of the CEO's office, she let out a slow, disappointed shake of her head.
Just as Brady had said, Alexander trusted Sabrina too much and had completely forgotten how Charlotte had worked so hard for the Forbes Group back then.
Well, whatever. She was just an employee—why should she care so much?
Meanwhile, Charlotte, who was busy working on her sketches, suddenly received a call from Declan.
Declan told Charlotte that everything with the new studio was settled, and the mysterious overseas investor had also called last night, saying they had recently established a new company in River City and wanted to collaborate with the studio.
Charlotte was silent for a while before telling Declan to let her think about it some more.
After hanging up, Charlotte zoned out for quite a while.
The overseas investor was very generous, but their new venture was positioned as a direct, formidable rival to the Forbes Group.
So considering Nicole, Landon, and Philip, she hesitated.
Time quickly passed to the weekend.
In the afternoon, Landon came to pick up Philip, saying he wanted to take Philip out to buy a new formal outfit for tomorrow's birthday banquet for the old president of the Design Association.
When he learned that Charlotte was also attending the birthday banquet, he casually invited Charlotte to go shopping for formal wear together.
Charlotte had been planning to do this anyway, so she didn't hesitate and agreed right away.
Soon, they arrived at Vantage Mall.
They went to look at menswear first.
As soon as they entered, Charlotte noticed all the staff looking at them with bright eyes, as if they had seen something incredible.
Before she could react, the store manager had respectfully approached them, "Welcome."
"Sir, ma'am, your whole family is so good-looking. It's really enviable."
Charlotte coughed awkwardly and was about to explain when Landon beside her had already replied coolly, "Thank you."
There really was no need to explain too much to strangers.
And next, when Landon held up two formal outfits and asked for her opinion, it further convinced the staff that they were a family.
Charlotte felt inexplicably flustered, so she randomly pointed at one, "This one looks good."
Without any hesitation, Landon directly chose the one she pointed at.
While Landon was in the fitting room, Charlotte and Philip looked at their phones. They were having fun when Charlotte suddenly heard the staff around them gasp in unison.
"Ma'am, your husband is so handsome."
"Having such a handsome husband and such a handsome son, you're really enviable."
Charlotte turned to look and was also stunned.
She had to admit, Landon was like a natural-born model.
The formal outfit she had randomly chosen looked on him as if it had been custom-made for him—perfectly fitting and elegant.
Just like a prince!
This phrase inexplicably popped into Charlotte's mind.
Before she could gather her thoughts, Landon was standing directly in front of her, "How is it?"
Landon's bright gaze pulled Charlotte back to reality, "Good-looking."
Stunning! Truly stunning.
Where Alexander possessed a cold beauty Landon's allure lay in his innate, aloof elegance.
Bearing was a man's best framework.
After buying the menswear, they helped Philip choose children's clothing.
Philip changed quickly. After coming out of the fitting room, he ran to Charlotte, "Charlotte, look, am I handsome?"
Charlotte pinched his cheek, "Handsome!"
Philip asked, "More handsome than Dad?"
Charlotte smiled, "Yes, more handsome than your dad."
Philip cheered, not noticing that Landon's expression had darkened.
Finally, they arrived at the women's clothing store.
Charlotte didn't want to pick through everything, so she asked the staff to recommend two suitable items.
The attendants scurried to curate their most exclusive pieces.
Charlotte tried on both formal dresses. Although they looked good, she still wasn't quite satisfied.
Just then, Landon, who had been browsing around the store, suddenly held up a deep blue mermaid-style formal dress and handed it to Charlotte, "Try this one."
Charlotte was stunned.
But Landon raised an eyebrow at her, his hand still stubbornly suspended in the air, "Don't trust my judgment?"
Charlotte glanced at him and finally took it, "Alright."
The moment she slipped into the dress, she knew it far surpassed the previous options.
Not just the design, even the material felt perfect.
It seemed Landon really did have good taste.
After getting fully dressed, she stepped out of the fitting room and found the staff all frozen, staring at her silently.
Even Landon was quietly watching her without blinking,
Charlotte panicked a bit. Did it not look good?
Just as she was feeling anxious, Philip suddenly cheered and rushed over to hug her waist, "So beautiful! I declare, from now on you're my mermaid princess!"
The staff then snapped back to reality and gathered around Charlotte with longing and admiration in their eyes.
"Ma'am, this dress is perfect for you. Your husband has such great taste."
"This color is so hard to pull off. I've worked in this store for ten years and have never seen anyone wear it so beautifully."
"Ma'am, are you a celebrity?"
The staff chattered away, leaving Charlotte no chance to explain.
Finally, the store manager stepped in to help her out.
It was only then that Charlotte found her voice to offer Landon her thanks for choosing the dress, "Landon, thank you."
But Landon's beautiful eyes curved into a smile, "Very beautiful, exactly as I imagined."